First Day Covers are unlikely to top the collecting interest of members of the Egypt Study Circle They can however be quite attractive and give additional meaning to the reason for a stamp's production when used on an illustrated dedicated cover.
What makes a good FDC may be open to some debate but for commemoratives one could suppose that the cover should carry the full set, be addressed and have travelled properly through the post preferably with the commemorative postmark.
On internet sites FDCs sell quite well, especially those issued before the 1952 revolution. Though they are mostly inexpensive some of them, especially those carrying high catalogued stamps, command a high price.
Pre-revolution covers are not particularly common and some are quite elusive. Even some post-revolution stamps are hard to find on FDCs, particularly up to the 1970s.
Here we make an attempt to illustrate examples of the pre-revolution stamps on FDCs. There are holes and some of the illustrations leave something to be desired.
If you can fill any holes or have a better FDC than the one illustrated, as outlined in the criteria above, please send a copy or scan to the editor.
For some definitives no FDCs are known. Perhaps even more elusive for pre- revolution commemoratives are examples of their use for normal postage.
One notable FDC missing is that for the Graf Zeppelin Visit to Egypt special surcharged issue. The first day of issue is given as April 6 1931, but the earliest recorded cover is datestamped the 7th.
Were collectors interested only in getting their covers on the flight, so ignoring such a triviality as a FDC?
| 1925, 1 April | International Geographical Congress, Cairo. |
| 1926, 1 March | 12th Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, Cairo. |
| 1926, 2 April | King Fuad's 58th Birthday |
| 1926, 9 December | International Navigation Congress, Cairo. |
| 1926, 21 December | Inauguration of Port Fuad |
| 1927, 25 January | International Cotton Congress, Cairo. |
| 1927, 29 December | Statistical Congress, Cairo |
| 1928, 15 December | International Medical Congress, Cairo. |
| 1929, 11 February | Prince's Farouk's Ninth Birthday. |
| 1931, 15 February | 14th Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, Cairo. |
| 1931, 6 April | Graf Zeppelin Visit to Egypt |
| 1933, 19 January | International Railway Congress, Cairo. |
| 1933, 20 December | International Aviation Congress, Cairo. |
| 1934, 1 February | 10th Universal Postal Union Congress, Cairo. |
| 1936, 15 February | 15th Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, Cairo. |
| 1936, 22 December | Anglo-Egyptian Treaty. |
| 1937, 15 October | Abolition of Capitulations at the Montreux Conference. |
| 1937, 8 December | 15th Ophthalmological Congress, Cairo. |
| 1938, 20 January | Royal Wedding, King Farouk and Queen Farida. |
| 1938, 26 January | 18th International Cotton Congress, Cairo. |
| 1938, 1 February | International Telecommunications Conference, Cairo |
| 1938, 11 February | King Farouk's 18th Birthday. |
| 1938, 21 March | International Leprosy Research Congress, Cairo. |
| 1940, 17 May | Child Welfare Fund. |
| 1943, 17 November | Fifth Birthday of Princess Ferial. |
| 1944, 28 April | Eighth Death Anniv of King Fund |
| 1945, 10 February | King Farouk's 25th Birthday. |
| 1945, 2 March | 50th Death Anniv of Ismail Pasha. |
| 1945, 29 July | Arab Countries Union. |
| 1946, 10 January | Visit of King of Saudi Arabia. |
| 1946, 28 February | 80th Anniv of First Egyptian Postage Stamp. |
| 1946, 9 August | Cairo Citadel Evacuation. |
| 1946, 1 October | Air Navigation Congress, Cairo. |
| 1946, 9 November | Arab League Congress, Cairo. |
| 1947, 9 March | 25th International Exhibition of Fine Arts. |
| 1947, 7 April | 36th Conference of Inter-Parliamentary Union, Cairo |
| 1947, 6 May | Withdrawal of British Troops from Nile Delta. |
| 1948, 1 April | International Cotton Congress, Cairo. |
| 1948, 15 June | Arrival of Egyptian Troops in Gaza. |
| 1948, 23 August | Inaugural Flight of Egyptian International Air Service to Athens and Rome. |
| 1948, 10 November | Death Centenary of Ibrahim Pasha |
| 1949, 1 March 16th | Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, Cairo. |
| 1949, 2 August | Death Centenary of Mohammed Ali |
| 1949, 9 October | 75th Anniversary of Universal Postal Union. |
| 1949, 14 October | Abolition of Mixed Courts. |
| 1950, 27 December | Inauguration of the Desert Institute |
| 1950, 27 December | 25th Anniversary of Fund I University. |
| 1950, 27 December | 75th Anniversary of Royal Egyptian Geographical Society. |
| 1951, 24 February | International Cotton Congress, Cairo. |
| 1951, 6 May | Royal Wedding of King Farouk and Queen Narriman |
| 1951, 5 October | First Mediterranean Games, Alexandria. |
| 1952, 11 February | Abrogation of Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. |
| 1952, 6 May | Birth of Crown Prince Ahmed Fuad. |
